There are all kinds of ways a carpet can get hit with a stain and none of them are fun to clean up. What’s worse is that if any of these stains are left unattended for more than a few minutes, permanent damage can be done to your rug. So let’s start with some of the most common spills that occur on carpets across the nation. If you have pets, then chances are you’ve encountered some unwanted gifts from Fido and company in your home. In addition to hair, dander, and dirt, they also leave their unwanted business. You can scrub most of the remnants away, but there will be lingering smells and scars. Avoid using ammonia based products to clean dog urine. Simply create a solution of 1/2 white vinegar and ½ warm water. Spray this solution liberally onto the spot. Allow it to soak for several minutes and then proceed with the blot technique until stain is gone and spot is almost completely dry. Several attempts might need to be made in order to neutralize the smell.

Next: the liquids. Wine, coffee, juice, beer, you name it. Most people have seen it all. Possibly the most frustrating stain is wine, because of course you chose red instead of white. Best thing to do to minimize the damage is to immediately start dabbing the area with a cloth. The rumors are true: don’t frantically try to scrub the area because you’ll end up doing more harm than good. Good old fashioned hot water and a little patience is the best for these spills. And finally, kids. You can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them. And at a certain age, they can’t tell the difference between a coloring book, and your floor. Crayons, markers, paint, pens, nothing stops these young Picassos. So what do you do when carpet becomes canvas? Dampen a clean cloth with isopropyl alcohol (the higher the percentage of alcohol the better), and then proceed by dabbing on the ink stained carpet location.You may need to treat the carpet stain with the alcohol again. Also some hairsprays and nail polish removers work as well, but they are extremely risky to use in terms of damage to your carpet and color fastness problems, if you have a white carpet, you’re safe. Most people think that they can just get done themselves, but the truth is, it’s going to take more than a modern vacuum and some elbow grease to get everything that resides in your carpet. For those tough strains, I would recommend hiring professional carpet cleaners. They’ve got the equipment and the expertise to make your carpet look fresh and new.

This is a guest post contributed by Bob Watt of Servicemaster of Charleston who offers carpet cleaning and other residential cleaning services.